Mobile device notification with opinions

ABSTRACT

Notifying users of mobile communication devices, which may include providing options for response to notifications. A component of a communication service provider system receives an indication of a notification for a user of a mobile communication device. The notification may be received from a source internal or external to the communication service provider system. A component of the mobile communication service provider formats the notification so that it is compatible with the mobile communication device of the user and sends the notification to the mobile communication device of the user. The notification may include one or more options to respond to the notification using the mobile communication device. The notification may, for example, pertain to minutes-of-use in a mobile communication service plan, or to other information, including notifications from outside service providers such as airlines, banks, restaurants, hotels, libraries, credit card companies, etc.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to U.S. application Ser. No.10/324,354, filed Dec. 19, 2002, entitled, “Automated Device BehaviorManagement Based on Network Charging and Rating Conditions” byChristopher White, which is commonly owned with this application andherein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Users of communication services, such as wireless phone services,text-messaging services, etc., typically agree on rating and chargingterms in a service provider agreement. The service provider, or carrier,may offer a variety of plans with different variables. The variablesinclude the amount of air time per billing cycle that is charged at aminimum rate, more favorable rates during “off-peak” times such asnights and weekends (as opposed to “on-peak” or “peak”) times, differentrates for on-network use and roaming use, fees for special services suchas call conferencing and email usage, etc. The amount of time availableper billing cycle at a certain rate is sometimes referred to as theamount of time in a “bucket.”

Typically, when a user exceeds their bucket time in a given billingcycle, the user will be charged additional fees for the use of theservice. For example, Jane chooses a monthly service plan with 350 peakminutes per month, and 25 text messages. Before the billing cycle ends,Jane uses the 350 bucket minutes. From that point on, Jane is chargedfor airtime at a rate of $0.35 per minute. A few days later, Janeexceeds the limit for 25 text messages. Accordingly, Jane is charged anadditional $0.50 per text message through the end of the billing cycle.In this type of situation, unless the user knows that they have exceedor are close to exceeding their bucket thresholds, they are in a poorposition to prevent incurring additional fees, and may be unpleasantlysurprised when they receive their monthly service bills containing theextra charges.

Thus, users of communication services can benefit from having anawareness of how much money they will spend if they use their devices ata certain time or in a certain way. As shown in the example above,awareness of charges and rates is important with both voice and dataconnections. While some devices track how much time has been used byhaving the user press keys on the keypad, to obtain locally-stored usageinformation, this tracking is sometimes inconsistent with the user'srate plan and can be confusing or even misleading. Moreover, while somewireless service providers allow users to find out information abouttheir current use levels, for example, by calling their wireless serviceprovider, taking such affirmative steps may be inconvenient andtime-consuming for the user. For example, a user seeking service chargeand use information may need to navigate through a complicated automatedphone system to obtain the information he or she needs. Additionally,because typical rate plans often include confusing exceptions andoptions, it may sometime be difficult for the user to determine exactlywhen he or she will exceed usage thresholds that will result in extracharges.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a communication systemin which one embodiment of the invention can be implemented.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the mobile device of thesystem of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an example of service plan options available to the mobiledevice of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a display diagram showing an example of a minutes-of-usenotification for one of the service plan options of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a display diagram showing a second example of a minutes-of-usenotification for one of the service plan options of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a display diagram showing an example of a notificationoriginating from a source external to the communication service providersubsystem of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a display diagram showing a second example of a notificationoriginating from a source external to the communication service providersubsystem of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a display diagram showing a third example of a notificationoriginating from a source external to the communication service providersubsystem of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing an example of a send notificationroutine performed at the communication service provider subsystem ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing an example of a receive notificationroutine as performed at the mobile device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing a second example of a sendnotification routine performed at the communication service providersystem of FIG. 1.

In the drawings, the same reference numbers identify identical orsubstantially similar elements or acts. To easily identify thediscussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digitor digits in a reference number refer to the Figure number in which thatelement is first introduced (e.g., element 304 is first introduced anddiscussed with respect to FIG. 3).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will now be described with respect to various embodiments.The following description provides specific details for a thoroughunderstanding of, and enabling description for, these embodiments of theinvention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that theinvention may be practiced without these details. In other instances,well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described indetail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of theembodiments of the invention.

It is intended that the terminology used in the description presented beinterpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is beingused in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specificembodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even be emphasizedbelow; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in anyrestricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such inthis Detailed Description section.

I. Overview

Embodiments of the invention, described below, include a method ofproviding notifications to a user of a mobile device and, in someembodiments, providing options with the notifications, wherein theoptions may be executable, at least in part, via the mobile device. Forexample, notifications can be provided to users for managing the use ofa wireless device based on rate plan conditions, such as minutes orkilobytes remaining for use within a given billing cycle. The initialrate plan conditions are typically agreed upon by a mobile communicationservice provider and a user, but are often controlled by the serviceprovider. In some embodiments, customers are notified when they reachpre-determined usage “milestones.” Notification techniques can includevoice notification, SMS/messaging, emails, voicemails, etc. Anotification can be combined with an offer for a rate plan upgrade, sothat the user can upgrade rate plans to avoid being charged extra usecharges and/or higher rates. For example, a user may be able to upgradeto a higher minute rate plan (thus avoiding extra airtime charges) byresponding to a notification message indicating that the user is closeto exceeding his or her alloted minutes-of-use for a current rate plan.

Notifications can be provided at various times. For example, anotification message may be sent instantly when a user reaches apredetermined threshold consistent with the user's rate plan. If theuser is currently using the device at the time that the notification issent, the notification may be accessed by the user after the call. Inanother example, a notification message may be sent before a call isplaced (so that the user has the option of limiting the call based onthe notification) or after a call is made, so that the user hasinformation that will be useful for future calls.

The concept of providing such notification with options via the mobiledevice can be extended into other areas besides minutes-of-usenotifications. For example, the mobile device can be used to providenotifications originating from external systems (e.g., airline systems,credit card or bank systems, entertainment systems, retail systems,etc.). In some embodiments, the mobile communication service providersystem can communicate with external web services to transfernotifications to a user's mobile device (e.g., in the form of avoicemail or text message). In other embodiments, notifications can begenerated at the communication service provider system in response tosome indication received from the external service. For example, theservice provider system may be configured to track packages sent via aground transportation service. When the package reaches its destination,the web service of the ground transportation service may provide anindication of the status. The service provider system can then generatea message indicating that the package has arrived and send it the thecustomer's device.

The user may be able to specify if, when, and how notifications areprovided. Additionally, notifications can be customized for the userdepending on user preferences. Users may be provided with theopportunity to respond to notifications and the response may beultimately delivered to the external system.

II. Representative System

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an embodiment of a wireless communication system100. The system 100 is an example of one arrangement of elements, butothers are possible. The system 100 includes a communication serviceprovider subsystem 102. A cellular phone service provider is one exampleof a communication service provider, but other examples include anyservice provider that provides mobile communication capabilities througha user device over a network. For example, service providers thatsupport personal digital assistants (PDAs) are also providers forpurposes of the embodiments described.

The communication service provider subsystem 102 includes equipment andapplications typically provided and maintained by a communicationservice provider. Many typically known elements of provider equipmentare not shown because they do not add to the understanding of theembodiments. For example, various computers or data processors are notshown, but are known to be part of the communication service providerequipment. Additionally, communication infrastructure such as radiotowers, base stations, switching centers, etc., is not shown.

The service provider subsystem 102 may also include providerapplications 104, which are typically software applications thatmaintain and administer the network. For example, the providerapplications 104 may include billing applications, performancemonitoring applications, and many more. The provider applications 104may also include applications for tracking user accounts, which aretypically designated by a responsible billing party. Each account mayinclude one user with one device, or a group of many users each with arespective device. For example, some enterprises provide groups ofemployees with devices for limited or unlimited use in the course ofemployment.

The communication service provider subsystem 102 further includes adatabase or databases (106 and 108). The databases (106 and 108) areshown separately to distinguish the types of data stored, but could beone physical entity or more than two physical entities. The database 106is a billing database that stores data used by the provider to generatebills for an account. Billing data includes all of the information inthe user's rate plan, such as number of minutes in a bucket, bucketrates, out of bucket rates, etc.

The database 108 is an event database that stores information relatingto when and how user will receive notifications. The information in thisdatabase may be specific to the different available rate plans, externalentities, and/or may be customized to reflect user's personalpreferences (e.g., user's choices regarding what conditions the userwould like the device to be automatically notified of).

A message service controller (MSC) 110 manages messaging, includingreceiving/sending, generating, and encoding/decoding notification andresponse messages. While the illustrated system 100 provides for the useof short message service (SMS), other messaging techniques may also beemployed without departing from the scope of the invention.

An event manager 112 recognizes events that prompt sending anotification and sends a message to the MSC in response. These eventsmay be internal to the communication service provider subsystem 102(e.g., threshold reached for minutes-of-use) or, in some embodiments,external to the subsystem (notification from credit card company, bank,airline, etc.).

A mobile communication device 114, receives notifications from thecommunication service provider subsystem 102 and facilitates otheractivities associated with mobile communication (facilitates makingcalls, retrieving voice messages, etc.). Communication between thecommunication device 114 and the service provider subsystem 102 takesplace via a communication network 116. While a mobile phone is shown asthe mobile communication device 114 in the embodiments illustrated inFIG. 1, those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that theinvention can be practiced with other devices and configurations,including Internet appliances, hand-held devices, wearable computers,multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, set-top boxes, PDA's (Personal Digital Assistants),portable laptop computers, and the like. The term “mobile device” isintended to include all such devices.

In some embodiments, a user of the mobile communication device 114 mayconfigure the information stored in the event database 108 by accessinga dedicated provider configuration application (one of the providerapplications 104). Accordingly, mobile device users may be able toaccess some of the provider applications 104, such as the configurationapplication, via the mobile communication device 114 or, in some cases,a personal computer 118. In this way, “user preferences” may bedeveloped by the provider configuration application.

Notifications can be sent to users and accessed, for example, via themobile device 114 (e.g., via VXML, SMS, voice, etc.) or the personalcomputer 118 (e.g., via email or instant message). The user canconfigure the user preference information stored in the event database108 accordingly. For example, the user may configure the userpreferences such that a downloaded email application only sends orreceives emails during an off-peak period.

The mobile device 114 includes downloaded applications (not shown inFIG. 1) that may come from the provider or any third party. Downloadedapplications from the provider may be configured in the same way aspreferences, as described above.

Activities relating to one or more external systems (120, 122, and 124)may be the subject of notifications to the user of the communicationdevice. Such external systems (120, 122, and 124) can be associatedwith, banks, airlines, hotels, retailers, etc. Some of these externalsystems can have web services or portals. In some embodiments,applications and components, such as the provider applications 104 andthe event manager component 112, can communicate directly with (andpossibly mine information from) these web services or portals.Alternatively, notifications that would otherwise be sent to the uservia, for example, email, may be forwarded instead to the MSC 110 andthen transmitted to the user's device using one-way communication fromthe web services or a portal to the communication service providersubsystem 102.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a typical mobile communication device114 of FIG. 1, such as a mobile handset. The mobile device 114 includesa transceiver 202 connected to an antenna (not shown). The transceiver202 typically provides modulation and demodulation of the transmittedand received signals, respectively. A processor unit or CPU 204connected to the transceiver 113 may comprise a signal processor,microprocessor, ASIC, or other control and processing logic circuitry.The processor unit 204 may perform signal coding, data processing,input/output processing, power control, and other functions necessaryfor implementing a mobile communication device.

A user provides input to the processor unit 204 via a keypad 206,microphone 208, or display/touchpad 210. In turn, the processor 204provides information to the customer via the display/touchpad 210 or aspeaker 212.

The processor 204 accesses information from, and stores information in,a memory 214/216, which can be removable 216 or non-removable 214. Thenon-removable memory 214 may consist of RAM, ROM, a hard disk, or otherwell-known memory storage technologies. The removable memory 216 mayconsist of User Identity Module (SIM) cards, which are well known in GSMcommunication systems, or other well-known memory storage technologies,such as “smart cards.” Applications such as native applications anddownloaded applications 408 could be implemented in either removablememory 216 or non-removable memory 214. User preference informationrelating to notifications can also be stored in memory 214/216.

The mobile communication device 114 may also include a GPS receiver 218and an IP/Bluetooth module/port 220.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a typical monthly service plan chart 300 forusers of mobile devices, such as the mobile device 114 of FIG. 1. Column301 shows a monthly charge for each service plan. Column 302 shows the“regular” minutes available for each calling plan. For example, thecalling plan having the monthly charge of $29.99 has 350 regular monthlyminutes available. In contrast, the calling plan having the cost of$299.99 has 5,000 regular minutes available to the user.

Column 303 shows the night and weekend minutes available to the userunder each calling plan. In the calling plans shown in the illustratedembodiment, this counts as an unlimited number of night/weekend minutes(except for the $19.99 calling plan). Having a distinction betweenregular minutes and night/weekend minutes typically complicates a userdetermining important usage information when the technique describedherein is not used.

Column 304 shows whether long distance is included in the monthlycharge. Column 305 shows additional airtime charges per minute, for eachminute that the user goes over the minutes allocated in their monthlyplan. For example, under the $74.99 calling plan, if a user exceeds1,200 regular weekday minutes, the user will then be charged anadditional charge of $0.35 per minute, for each minute used duringnon-night/weekend times.

Referring to FIG. 4, a display diagram shows a “minutes-of-use”notification 400 on the display screen 401 of a mobile device such asthe mobile device 112 of FIG. 1. The notification 400 shows a date and anumber of minutes used (in this case 312 minutes). The notification alsoshows the number of available minutes remaining for the billing cycle(in this case 288 minutes). The notification also provides an option forthe user to avoid extra airtime charges by upgrading his or her serviceplan. To assist the user in such an upgrade, the notification providesthree options for the user. For example, the user may select to upgradehis or her plan by selecting a button 402 associated with an upgradeoption displayed on the user's screen. In some embodiments, selectingthis button may result in an automatic update to a next level of serviceplan, may provide the user with a screen of more detailed upgradeinformation, or may connect the user with a live customer servicerepresentative.

As the warning may be presented to the user while he or she is in theprocess of making a call, the user may select to be reminded of theupgrade option at a later (more convenient) time by selecting a button403 associated with a “remind me later” option displayed on the screen401. In the illustrated embodiment, the user has a third option ofdeclining the offer to upgrade airtime charges by selecting a button 404associated with a “no thank you” option displayed on the display screen401.

If the user receives the notification before a call is made, the usermay dial the call as usual but is interupted by a tone or beepsignifying the receipt of a notification so that the user can learn ofand respond to the conditions before the call is made. In someembodiments, the user could hear a beep and then be prompted to select abutton associated with a “yes” option, a “no” option, or a “remind meafter the call” option before making the call. As an alternative or inaddition to the visual notification shown in FIG. 4, the user couldlisten to a voice message that provides the notification information inan audible form.

Referring to FIG. 5, a display diagram shows a second example of a“minutes-of-use” notification 500 displayed on a display screen 501 ofthe mobile device 114. The notification 500 warns the user of the mobiledevice 114 that he or she has only “nineteen Regular Minutes” remainingon his or her current service plan (for a period ending on June 15). Thenotification 500 further provides that the user will be chargedadditional airtime charges of $0.35 per minute in accordance with theircurrent calling plan. This type of notification may be received inresponse to the communication service provider subsystem identifyingthat a particular threshold (possibly specified by the user) has beenreached as a result of the last call made using the mobile device 114.

Like the display of FIG. 4, the notification 500 provides an option forthe user to avoid excess airtime charges by upgrading the service plan.For example, the user may select to upgrade his or her plan by selectinga button 502 associated with an upgrade option displayed on the displayscreen 501. The user may also select to be reminded of the upgradeoption at a later time by selecting a button 503 associated with a“remind me later” option displayed on the display screen 501. The userhas a third option of declining the offer to upgrade airtime charges byselecting a button 504 associated with a “no thank you” option displayedon the display screen 501.

Referring to FIG. 6, a display diagram shows a notification 600associated with an event occurring at a source external to the serviceprovider subsystem. In the illustrated embodiment, the notification 600being displayed on the screen 601 on the mobile device 114 is a draftnotice from the user's bank. It shows that a check has posted to theuser's account. The notice 600 provides the user with information aboutcalling the bank's customer service line in case there is a problem. Theuser is also provided with three options for responding to thenotification using the mobile device 114. For example, by selecting abutton 602 on the phone associated with a “call bank” option 602, theuser can be connected directly with the bank via the mobile device.Alternatively, the user can be reminded later to contact the bank byselecting a button 603 associated with a “remind me later” option.Should the user wish to decline the offer to contact the bank, the usercan select a button 604 associated with “no thank you” option, and thenotification will be discarded or saved in an archive on the userdevice.

Referring to FIG. 7, a notification 700 for an event occurring externalto the system of the service provider is displayed on a screen 701 ofthe mobile device 114. In this notification 700, the user is notified ofa gate change for an upcoming flight on which the user is scheduled todepart. The user is notified of the new gate number and is provided theoption of contacting the airline's customer service line by dialing atoll-free number. In addition, the user is given three options that heor she may execute directly by selecting buttons (702, 703, and 704) onthe mobile device 114, including a “call now” option, a “remind melater” option, and a “no thank you” option.

Referring to FIG. 8, a notification 800 resulting from an eventoccurring external to the service provider subsystem is displayed on adisplay screen 801 of the mobile device. The user is being notified ofthe fact that he or she is nearing a credit-line threshold for a creditcard account. More specifically, the user is notified that he or she iswithin $150 of a current credit limit. The user is provided the optionof calling the credit card company in the case that the user hasquestions or would like to request an instant credit-line increase. Theuser is also given three additional options: the user can call thecredit card company by selecting a button 802 associated with a “callnow” option; the user can be reminded later by selecting a button 803associated with a “remind me later” option; or the user can decline theoffer by selecting a button 804 associated with a “no thank you” option.

III. Representative Flows

FIGS. 9–11 are representative flow diagrams that depict processes usedin some embodiments. These flow diagrams do not show all functions orexchanges of data, but instead they provide an understanding of commandsand data exchanged under the system. Those skilled in the relevant artwill recognize that some functions or exchange of commands and data maybe repeated, varied, omitted, or supplemented, and other (lessimportant) aspects not shown may be readily implemented.

Referring to FIG. 9, a send notification routine 900 may be performed atthe communication service provider subsystem of FIG. 1. The illustratedsend notification routine 900 is associated with a minutes-of-usenotification event, such as the notifications of FIGS. 4 and 5. At block901, the communication service provider subsystem receives aregistration request from the user of a mobile device. For example, theregistration request is received when the user is attempting to place acall via the mobile communication device, or after the user hangs upafter making a call. At block 902 the communication service providersubsystem checks units used for the account associated with the mobiledevice making the registration request. This process may involve the useof an event manager, such as the event manager 112 of FIG. 1. As oneexample, the billing database 110 sends a message to the event manager112 indicating that the “bucket” is half-empty. The event manager 112then sends a message to an MSC, such as the MSC 110 of FIG. 1,requesting that an encoded message be generated.

At decision block 903, if some threshold-level of units has beenreached, the routine continues at block 904. If, however, at decisionblock 903 the threshold has not been reached, the routine ends. At block904 the routine sends a notification to the user of the mobile devicemaking the registration request. At block 905, the routine sets athreshold flag indicating that a threshold-level of minutes has beenreached. In this way, the subsystem will know to look for a nextthreshold-level upon receipt of the next registration request. Followingblock 905, the routine ends.

Referring to FIG. 10, a receive notification routine 1000 may beperformed at the wireless communication device. At block 1001 theroutine sends a call request to the communication service providersubsystem. At block 1002 the routine receives a notification from thecommunication service provider. More particularly, in some embodiments,the mobile device may receive the notification message from the eventmanager 112 of FIG. 1. At block 1003 the routine displays a notificationto the user on, for example, a screen or other display device. At block1004 the routine displays response options to the user in the displaydevice. For example, options such as “call now,” “remind me later,” or“no thank you” may be displayed alongside buttons on the mobilecommunication device. Alternatively, the display device may consist of atouch screen where the user may touch buttons associated with thedisplayed response options.

For the purpose of the configuration of the mobile device in theillustrated embodiment, out-of-band signals are exchanged between themobile device and the service provider equipment, although in-bandsignaling could be used. These signals may be exchanged via a hypertexttransfer protocol (“HTTP”) connection, a wireless application protocol(WAP) connection, or any other wireless communication method includingthose incorporating XML or VXML.

Referring to FIG. 11, a send external event notification routine 1100,may be performed at, for example, the mobile communication serviceprovider of FIG. 1. At block 1101 the routine receives a notificationfrom an external service such as a credit card company, bank, airline,hotel, etc. At block 1102 the routine checks for user preferencesassociated with providing the notification to the user. At block 1103the routine prepares a notification based on the user preferences and onother formatting techniques used to present the notification in a wayreadable by the mobile communication device. At block 1105 the routinesends a notification to the mobile communication device. At decisionblock 1105 if the user of the mobile communication device elects to senda response the routine continues at block 1106 where the routineconnects to an external service (e.g., bank, credit card company,airline, hotel, restaurant, etc.). If the user of the mobilecommunication device does not send a response at decision block 1105,the routine ends. Likewise, the routine ends after the connection to theexternal service is made at block 1106.

VI. Conclusion

The above detailed descriptions of embodiments of the invention are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, theinvention are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention,as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, whilesteps or components are presented in a given order, alternativeembodiments may perform routines having steps or components in adifferent order. The teachings of the invention provided herein can beapplied to other systems, not necessarily the network communicationsystem described herein. The elements and acts of the variousembodiments described above can be combined to provide furtherembodiments and some steps or components may be deleted, moved, added,subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Each of these steps may beimplemented in a variety of different ways. Also, while these steps areshown as being performed in series, these steps may instead be performedin parallel, or may be performed at different times.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” Words in the above detailed descriptionusing the singular or plural number may also include the plural orsingular number respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,”“below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application,shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particularportions of this application. When the claims use the word “or” inreference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of thefollowing interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, allof the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

The teachings of the invention provided herein could be applied to othersystems, not necessarily the system described herein. These and otherchanges can be made to the invention in light of the detaileddescription. The elements and acts of the various embodiments describedabove can be combined to provide further embodiments.

All of the above patents and applications and other references,including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, areincorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can bemodified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and conceptsof the various references described above to provide yet furtherembodiments of the invention.

These and other changes can be made to the invention in light of theabove detailed description. While the above description details certainembodiments of the invention and describes the best mode contemplated,no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the invention can bepracticed in many ways. Details of the system, data model, andmanagement scheme may vary considerably in their implementation details,while still being encompassed by the invention disclosed herein. Asnoted above, particular terminology used when describing certainfeatures, or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply thatthe terminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to anyspecific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention withwhich that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in thefollowing claims should not be construed to limit the invention to thespecific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the aboveDetailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly,the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosedembodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementingthe invention under the claims.

While certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certainclaim forms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of theinvention in any number of claim forms. For example, while only oneaspect of the invention is recited as embodied in a computer-readablemedium, other aspects may likewise be embodied in a computer-readablemedium. Accordingly, the inventors reserve the right to add additionalclaims after filing the application to pursue such additional claimforms for other aspects of the invention.

1. A system for providing a user of a mobile phone with notificationsregarding use of the mobile phone, wherein the user subscribes to afirst communication service plan having a first arrangement of minutesof usage from among a plurality of service plans having alternativearrangements of minutes of usage, the system comprising: an eventmanager component configured to determine whether the user has exceededa predetermined threshold for usage of minutes from the firstcommunication service plan; a message service component coupled to theevent manager component, wherein the message service component isconfigured to generate a notification message for transmission to themobile phone, wherein the notification message includes an indicationthat usage of minutes has exceeded the predetermined threshold, andwherein the notification message further includes an offer for asubscription to an alternative communication service plan having asecond arrangement of minutes of usage from among the plurality ofservice plans; and wherein the message service component is furtherconfigured to receive response messages from the mobile device, whereinthe response messages include a response to the offer for a subscriptionto an alternative service plan.
 2. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising an event database including information about thepredetermined threshold.
 3. The system of claim 1 further comprising abilling database including information about the first communicationservice plan and the alternative communication service plan.
 4. In awireless communication system, a method for use with a mobile phone,wherein a user of the mobile phone subscribes to a first communicationservice plan having a first arrangement of minutes of usage from among aplurality of service plans having alternative arrangements of minutes ofusage, the method comprising: determining that the user has exceeded apredetermined threshold for usage of minutes from the firstcommunication service plan; sending a notification message to the mobilephone, wherein the notification message includes an indication thatusage of minutes has exceeded the predetermined threshold, and whereinthe notification message further includes an offer for a subscription toan alternative service plan having a second arrangement of minutes ofusage from among the plurality of service plans; and receiving aresponse to the offer for a subscription to an alternative service plan,wherein the response is generated at the mobile phone in response to aselection by the user.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein thepredetermined threshold is specific to the first arrangement of minutesof usage.
 6. The method of claim 4 wherein the predetermined thresholdis determined by the user.
 7. The method of claim 4 wherein the offerfor subscription includes the option of allowing the user toautomatically subscribe to the alternative service plan using the mobilephone.
 8. An apparatus comprising: a transceiver configured forreceiving an indication that usage of a communication servicecorresponding to a first service plan previously selected from among aplurality of service plans having alternative arrangements of minutes ofusage has exceeded a threshold for units used; wherein the first serviceplan has a first arrangement of usage of units; a user output deviceconfigured for providing a notification to the user, wherein thenotification includes information associated with the receivedindication and an offer a subscription to for a second service planhaving a second arrangement of units of use from among the plurality ofservice plans; a user input device configured for receiving input fromthe user, wherein the input is in response to the provided notification;and a processor, coupled to the transceiver, user output device, anduser input device, wherein the processor is configured for generating aresponse for the received notification based on input from the user,wherein the response relates to the offer the subscription to for thesecond service plan.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein thenotification is provided in audio form.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8wherein the notification is provided in text form.
 11. The apparatus ofclaim 8 wherein the notification is provided in graphical form.